One Extra Hour of Sleep May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes for Teens

The next time your teenager wants to sleep in on the the weekend, you might want to encourage it. Just one extra hour of sleep per day may help prevent them from developing type 2 diabetes someday.

That’s what researchers found when they looked at teens who slept for roughly six hours per night. But when the teenagers were allowed to sleep one hour longer, they improved their insulin resistance, according to a study published in the the journal SLEEP.

“High levels of insulin resistance can lead to the development of diabetes,” said lead author Karen Matthews, of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychiatry. “We found that if teens (who) normally get six hours of sleep per night get one extra hour of sleep, they would improve insulin resistance by 9 percent.”

Nearly 250 high school students participated in the study. Researchers tracked their sleep habits, sleep durations and insulin levels. Teens slept on average 6.4 hours over the week. During the weekend, they slept longer compared to school nights.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends teens get a little more than nine hours of sleep every night.

Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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